TravelPledge is excited to feature The Inn at Evergreen to our community of nonprofits! Once a Civil War Era mansion, The Inn at Evergreen is an 11-bedroom inn in Haymarket, VA. The Inn serves as the centerpiece to Evergreen Country Club. The Inn at Evergreen, as it exists today, is proudly listed on The National Register of Historic […]
As an organizer of a benefit auction, you may wonder whether you should use pre-bidding, also known as pre-selling. In this post, we cover the basics of pre-bidding and help you decide if it is right for your fundraiser. What Is Pre-bidding? Pre-bidding allows guests, or those not able to attend, to preview and bid on key […]
In another post, we discussed differences between a Steering Committee and a traditional Auction Committee. In this post, we identify the key roles and responsibilities for your Steering Committee. Of course, the same person can fill multiple roles so long as they have the bandwidth. This post is adapted from The Big Book of Benefit Auctions by […]
TravelPledge is excited to feature Enriquez Estate Wines (Forestville, CA) to our community of nonprofits! Enriquez Estate is a family owned and operated micro-winery specializing in limited production Pinot Noir, Tempranillo and Muscat wines. Located in the heart of the Russian River Valley, the magical estate vineyard started life as a dairy farm. Dedicated to preserving the […]
As a volunteer organizing an auction, you may think to yourself, “I am not going to be working on the auction next year. I only signed up for one year!” That may be true, but someone is going to be working on the auction, and one of the best gifts you can give your organization is to […]
You’ve procured some really great auction items. Great! These items will sell themselves! Think again. Presenting your auction items in the right way with the right ambiance is critical to driving up bids and satisfying guests. Pay particular attention to these four areas: 1. Sound Guests who wish to participate in your silent auction will be frustrated […]
When you focus on your guests’ enjoyment, your guests will reward you. This may be obvious, but is too often overlooked in the planning of benefit auctions. Some gala committees do a great job thinking about the party, theme, food, decorations, program, service and the event mission. Those are all important. But what will pay the biggest […]
You may already be familiar with TravelPledge’s extensive selection of vacations, cruises, lessons and golf packages. Meet our latest addition: Classic Portrait Source by Sayles. Classic Portrait Source by Sayles is a premier provider of custom oil painting portraits. They are proud to have created hundreds of fine portraits for families. TravelPledge is excited to feature this […]
Your silent auction committee likely obtained great vacations, unique memorabilia, and bucket list experiences for your live or silent auction. Your committee likely also procured an array of small gift certificates from local businesses: cleaning, dance lessons, chiropractic service, haircuts and styles, tanning sessions, massages, whitening, self-defense classes and many more services. What should you do with […]
A benefit golf event is a blast for attendees. But let’s admit it – it’s a big time commitment. Tacking on an auction to the end of the event makes for a very long day for your supporters. At your next golf event, consider having attendees golf and bid at the same time with the “18 Hole […]
